Think About it. Gone With the Draft. Nearly 80 years ago, Skippy Lamore (Bill Watson is the last man standing who will remember.) based his touring company of entertainers in little Colon, Michigan. World War II had begun and Clark Gable had famously said, “Frankly my dear, I don’t …….. ”. Skippy called the 1942 show “Gone With the Draft”. Fast forward. One way or another we now support or oppose wars all over the world. Every hour, federal taxpayers in United States paid $2.93 million toward Foreign Aid in 2016. Here we go again, sending money we don’t have to buy the love of countries that may not thank us for our help. History tells us that we will send “military advisers” next who will put “no boots on the ground”. Next we will vote for some NATO (read US) military assistance, followed by full-fledged participation in a no-win war against a nation run by a man steeped in Stalinist belief in a totalitarian philosophy of government.
The result has too often been the sacrifice of military reserves along with other men and women volunteers. Too many went off to pointless death, injury, permanent emotional scars and family destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc. Perhaps our revered legislators would be less anxious to get involved in far off fighting if their near and dear were subject to the terror of personal involvement. It seems to me if we returned to the draft, the conscription of all mentally and physically fit Americans, our representatives would think longer before sending their young relatives off to save the world from itself.
Better yet, why don’t we mind our own business instead of spending money we don’t have to alter the lives of people who often don’t want to change their way of living and being governed? No, I am not an isolationist. But surely the prime purpose of our form of government should be protecting our shores from attack instead of wandering around making the world safe for a philosophy that we are almost unique in committing to.
If you had to vote to send your loved-ones off to fight far-flung foreign battles, I’m willing to bet you would “….give a damn”, and those you hold dear would not be Gone With the Draft. Think About It.
You may want to see this historic picture and interview. Skippy died that summer.